A ‘bionic dragonfly’ from Festo has been recognised as a record breaker in the latest edition of Guinness World Records, published by Ravensberger on 5 September.

The BionicOpter, an ultra-light flying object based on the dragonfly, is named as the world’s ‘biggest flying robotic insect'. 

Karoline von Häfen, head of corporate bionic projects at Festo (www.festo.com), said: “It is fascinating what we can learn from nature. Curiosity and joy in innovation drive us to keep trying new things.

"We are very pleased to be included in Guinness World Records — it is a great validation.”

After bird flight had been ‘deciphered’ with the SmartBird in 2011, the developers in Festo’s Bionic Learning Network took on their next big challenge: modelling the dragonfly at a technical level.

The BionicOpter was the result. Just like its ‘model’ in nature, the BionicOpter can fly in all directions and execute very complicated flight manoeuvres.

Its ability to move each of its wings independently enables it to slow down and turn abruptly, to accelerate swiftly and even fly backwards; and despite its complexity, it can be operated easily and intuitively via a smartphone.

Despite a wingspan of 630mm and a body length of 440mm, the model dragonfly weighs just 175gm.

The wings consist of a carbon-fibre frame and a thin foil covering, while intelligent kinematics correct any vibrations during flight and ensure flight stability.

In order to stabilise the flying object, data on the position and the twisting of the wings is continuously evaluated in real time.